Ryan Schwarz (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) was named Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year for the second time in his career and represented Valparaiso on the All-League First Team, while three other Crusaders were placed on the Second Team and one Crusader made the All-Newcomer Team as the league announced its postseason accolades today.

Schwarz, who previously earned Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2007 before missing the entirety of 2008 due to injury, came back better than ever in net for the Crusaders this season, ending the regular season tied for Crusader single-season records with nine victories and six shutouts.  He is on pace to break Valpo's single-season goals against average record with a 1.02 GAA at the end of the regular season, while his save percentage sat at a career-best .786.

Steve Shively (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), Adrian Ortiz (Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) and Stefan Antonijevic (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson [College of Lake County/Marquette]) all represented the Crusaders on the All-League Second Team.  Shively, a senior forward, ended the regular season having appeared in 16 matches, drawing 13 starting assignments.  He led Valpo at regular season’s end with 14 points on the season, having registered five goals and four assists on the year, and has moved into the Crusader career top-ten lists in both goals and points.

Ortiz has been a stalwart on the field this season, playing every second of Valpo's 17 regular season games while shifting between defense and midfield this year, helping to solidify the Valpo defense.  He made his first two career goals count in a big way last Saturday, as the Crusaders rallied for a league victory over ClevelandState to clinch a quarterfinal home game.  Antonijevic started all 17 regular season matches this year for Valpo.  A physical presence on the field for the Crusaders, he scored two regular season goals, including a match-winner at Bowling Green, and also tallied an assist.

In addition, freshman midfielder Jaymie Bullard (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) represented Valpo on the league’s All-Newcomer squad.  Bullard appeared in 15 matches for the Crusaders during the regular season, starting on six occasions.  The freshman tallied a pair of goals in his first career game at Eastern Illinois, including the match-winning marker.